Tuesday, January 15, 2019

the last book I ever read (Au Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies' Delight) by Émile Zola, excerpt seven)

July was very hot. Denise really felt it in her narrow room, under the slate roof. So when she left the shop, she would fetch Pépé from Bourras and, instead of going upstairs straightaway, would take the air a little in the Tuileries Gardens, until they shut the gates. One evening, as she was walking towards the chestnut trees, she stopped dead in her tracks: she thought she recognized Hutin a few steps ahead, walking directly towards her. Then her heart started to beat violently. It was Mouret, who had taken dinner on the Left Bank and was hurriedly walking to Madame Desforges’. The young woman made a brusque movement to get out of his way and he looked up at her. Night was falling, yet he recognized her.